Best Creative Burgers In Sacramento

February 19, 2014 5:00 AM

burgersbrew.com

Sacramento burger lovers are blessed with a preponderance of options to tantalize their taste buds. The area has many great spots for classic hamburgers such as Nationwide Freezer Meats, Willie’s and Squeeze Inn, the latter being home of the cheese “skirt” for burgers. However, other local hot spots also offer unique options, such as burgers topped with kimchi, pickled peppers, fruit-infused vegetables or jalapeno mayonnaise.

Burgers and Brew makes good on the promise of its name, with impressive offerings in both categories. Not content to stick with just ground beef, the restaurant also serves a burger made with Niman Ranch lamb, with feta cheese, roasted garlic and yogurt sauce made with fresh mint. Another option is a burger made with a half-pound of buffalo meat, onions and tomato. Vegetarian diners can enjoy a traditional veggie patty, a Portobello mushroom burger with roasted red pepper mayo or one made of smoked tofu. The list of beers to accompany your burger is exceptional, including lambics, amber lagers, IPAs, ciders, ales, Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Three Philosophers Belgian quad, Green Flash Le Freak and Chimay Grand Reserve.

Flaming Grill Cafe2319 El Camino Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95821
(916) 359-0840www.flaminggrillcafe.comFlaming Grill offers less typical meat options, including antelope, elk, wild boar or wagyu, a richly marbled and tender beef from Japan. Guests with bolder palates might appreciate burgers made of kangaroo or one-third of a pound of alligator meat. A camel burger is also available, which could be perfect on a dry, hot summer day in Sacramento. The breakfast burger includes Angus beef, spicy chorizo sausage and an egg fried sunny-side up, or try a monster burger, named for the size rather than the meat content. This oversized option includes your choice of burger with bacon, avocado, poblano and jalapeno peppers, spicy habanero sauce and carne asada fries. If you are feeling adventurous, start the meal with an appetizer serving of battered and deep-fried python.

Broderick offers toothsome treasures in the burger menu, like the “Johnny Cash” packed with pepper-crusted beef, fried onions, applewood-smoked bacon, house-made barbecue sauce and pickled peppers. The “Gold Rush” has smoky Niman Ranch beef topped fried onions and bacon-studded macaroni and cheese, and the “Ocean City” is made from scratch with Maryland blue crab and a creole aioli. Burgers of ground duck or Lebanese spiced lamb are served with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette, pear-fig chutney, onion crisps and roasted tomatoes.

hamptonsonsutter.com

Hampton’s On Sutter608 Sutter St.
Folsom, CA 95630
(916) 985-4735www.hamptonsonsutter.comThis fun restaurant and bar in Folsom has some great selections, like the “Fire Breathing” burger with serrano and jalapeno peppers, habanero aioli and pepper-jack cheese. More spicy burgers include the “Black and Blue” made with Cajun spices, bacon and bleu cheese, and the “Taco Guac,” a burger topped with jalapeno aioli, fresh and spicy guacamole cheese and tortilla chips. But the pièce de résistance is the “Beef Wellington” burger at Hampton’s on Sutter. It includes butter-sautéed mushroom duxelles with shallots and herbs, bacon pâté and a tellicherry and peppercorn cognac sauce. The sheet of puff pastry atop the burger is the grand finale of gourmet finishing touches.

Cookie’s Drive In5640 H St.
Sacramento, CA 95819
(916) 457-8353Cookie’s may look like the poster child for old-fashioned burger dives, but the menu also includes less traditional treats. Order a juicy burger made of bison, buffalo or spicy black beans, nestled into the drive-in’s famous fluffy, chewy buns. Take the opportunity to try an elk, ostrich, camel or kangaroo burger served with old-fashioned French fries. Low prices and fresh milkshakes made in flavors like pineapple, blackberry, peanut butter and banana, mango and coconut help make this small place a big winner with guests.Related:Best Dinners For Less Than $15 In Sacramento

Valerie Heimerich is a freelance writer out of Sacramento. She typically covers animals and community issues. She has volunteered and worked for many organizations helping animals and people.
Her work can be found at Examiner.com.